(AN:If you've never experienced a blackout in your entire city, then I envy you. Also tell me your address and I'll move there soon!
Just so we are on the same page guys.! I owe 3 chapters. 1 for yesterday's, 1 bonus because someone once again left a review, and finally 1 which was supposed to be for today! Here's 1 of 3, 2nd's still in the process with the 3rd probably by tomorrow along with tomorrow's chapter. Enjoy)
Asgard
After Elias' Departure
Only when the cold pressure left behind by Elias Mercer—by the Lich King—had faded, did Odin turn to Loki.
"Loki," he said, voice low.
"Tell me, everything."
Loki straightened.
For once, there was no flourish.
No grin.
Just some old fashioned sigh and the truth.
He figured, his father, correction!
Adopted father, at least deserve that much.
"After I fell," Loki began, "after I let the void took me… I did not die."
Odin's single eye narrowed.
"I drifted," Loki continued.
"Between places. Between worlds, I didn't even know existed. It was there that I learned, there are more than just the nine realms. And it was also there… that he found me."
He hesitated, then spoke the name.
"Thanos. The Mad Titan."
Odin's eyes flashed with recognition, he was aware of such a madman.
But he never considered him a threat. Not for the Allfather.
"He knew of me," Loki said. "Knew what I was. What I wanted. He offered survival first—then purpose."
Odin said nothing.
"He wanted the Tesseract," Loki went on.
"In exchange, he gave me an army—the Chitauri. He subtly controlled me to conquer Midgard. Not for glory. Not for Asgard or for me to rule it. It was only for a test."
A pause.
"And I would have succeeded," Loki added quietly.
"If not for him."
Odin lifted his chin slightly.
"…Elias. Your first sentence sounds questionable but yeah sure. What happened when yoj met him?"
Loki could only look at Odin but bot complain, so nodded and continued.
"I met him before the invasion truly began. He was… so calm. So certain I won't or that I couldn't hurt him. It's like he knew of me."
Loki's voice tightened.
"And he did, Father. He knows far more things that I almost couldn't believe it."
Odin was curious now. Even Loki his most cunning son, adopted, shows surprise, must mean something.
"What things?" Odin asked.
Loki swallowed.
"He knew Mother would die," Loki said.
"By my blunder to get back at you."
Odin's hand tightened around Gungnir upon hearing that.
"But that's not all, he even knew you would die," Loki continued.
"Not in battle. But… tired, old, just at peace. You seemed to have anticipated it but you accepted it. Your end."
Odin closed his eye, he could already guess what Loki's going to say next. And he was right
"He knew of Hela," Loki said, Odin prepared himself when he guessed that, but hearing it felt different.
"He knew of her breaking free after you were gone. I saw it Father, Thor and I started Ragnarok."
The hall felt too small.
"Asgard fell, but Thor, brother said is where it's people is." Loki finished.
Odin nodded in approval, it seems Thor finally became a competent after he was gone.
And Loki was there with him. It was good to know that although Asgard was destroyed, both his sons were finally side by side.
"However, Our people..." Loki could not continue.
But Odin urged him to steel himself and continue.
"Our people did survive the Ragnarok, but was slaughtered in half the population, by Thanos."
Odin's breath left him slowly. It seems he could no longer just ignore this Titan.
"And my death was also at his hands, literally." Loki said last.
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
Odin remembered him, Thanos. Before departing from this world, maybe he could lessen his son's worries.
There was one question left—one he had avoided long enough.
"Loki," the Allfather said.
"Tell me… who kills your mother?"
The words landed like a hammer.
Loki turned serious.
For a heartbeat, the hall was silent save for the distant hum of the realm's magic.
"…The Dark Elves," Loki said clear hostility.
Odin's shoulders stiffened.
"They were not gone like you said they are." Loki continued.
"They were clearly waiting when the convergence comes… because with it, the aether also awakens."
Odin closed his eye.
His father's war.
Bor's victory.
A genocide believed complete but his Father clearly passed down to him knowledge that they never killed or defeated the Dark elves.
"I knew they were alive," Odin said at last. "your grandfather told me."
He turned, fury quiet but absolute.
His grip tightened on Gungnir.
"We need to prepare Asgard," Odin commanded.
Loki nodded immediately.
"They seek the Aether," Loki added. "And probably vengeance against us."
Odin's jaw set.
"They will only find my spear once they come." he said.
Odin began walking—toward the throne.
"Come with me," he said.
Loki hesitated for only a fraction of a second.
"Once time returns, we need to prepare for them. Your insights will help us prepare appropriately."
As Loki stepped beside Odin, he felt it truly for the first time.
His father's acknowledgement of him.
And the reason?
His connection to another power in the realm. He couldn't help but think.
Would Odin still acknowledge him if he doesn't have such connection?
In the future where he didn't? He did, though it was at the end of his life.
.
.
.
Stark Tower
Private Room
Clint stepped forward alone, boots stopping just short a short distance from the mini-frozen throne Frostmourne has created.
The throne of ice loomed above him, Elias—no, Arthas—seated upon it like he had never belonged anywhere else.
Clint did not hesitate.
He dropped to one knee.
With both hands, he raised the scepter.
"I've completed your task," Clint said evenly.
No flourish. No fear. Just fact.
The scepter lifted from Clint's grasp, drawn upward by invisible force.
Telekinesis wrapped around it with clumsy control, floating it before Arthas' gaze who definitely forgot how to breath, finally remembered to take in oxygen.
I really, really need to train this power. Especially with if it's limit is removed soon at it gets even more harder to control.
[Side Objective Generated!
Personal Growth –Control Mastery
Objective:
Train your Telekinesis to absolute precision.
Learn to apply force without lethality, suppression without harm, and manipulation without rupture.
Reward:
Telekinesis Limiter removal.
Telekinesis will upgrade up to your current level from where it stagnated. ]
After reading the system's prompt casually, Elias focused on the scepter in front of him.
With a slow motion of his fingers, the scepter twisted—
Crack.
The metal casing peeled apart as if it had always been meant to separate.
The blue gem, now yellow was exposed, pulsing faintly.
Then it stopped.
The Mind Stone vanished into Elias' inventory without light, without sound, without ceremony.
The empty husk of the scepter clattered to the floor.
"Well done," Arthas said.
His voice was calm, cold—and approving, if you asked him? He would say. It's the character speaking that way not me.
"I like your efficiency. Unlike certain others."
Clint dipped his head, accepting the compliment careful not to piss off the being in front of him.
Just then, reality buckled.
Four figures collapsed into the room in a burst of displaced air, armor scorched, clothes torn, faces bruised and hollow-eyed.
They hit the floor hard—feet first, then butts,then backs—lying there instinctively the moment realized the hell was over.
Tony Stark ripped his helmet off and immediately gagged.
"Never—ever—send me to a universe where the dead sprint, again please."
Steve Rogers dropped to one knee, breathing hard, shield smeared with dried blood that was very much not his.
"We did it," he muttered. "we survived."
Natasha Romanoff lied still on the floor with ber eyes half-lidded.
"I killed the same kind infected a lot of times I forgot to count after a hundred," she said flatly. "it kept coming, same figure, hooded jacket, excellent jumping ability but loud. Good thing there was a lot of ammo on that place."
Bruce Banner was already human, arms fully expanded, exhausted beyond words.
"There was no sunlight," he added quietly. "if not for the clock inside the rooftop base, we wouldn't even have a clue how much time has passed."
Clint blinked.
"…that bad huh?" he asked.
Tony let out a broken laugh.
"It was called Mercy Hospital. We were on the Rooftop. No evac. No breaks. Special infected kept coming back like Arnold Schwarzenegger wanna be. If I wasn't conserving as much energy as possible, time wouldn't be a problem."
Steve exhaled slowly.
"but we held, barely."
Arthas rose.
The room cooled instantly.
"Enough," he said.
Their banter died on the spot.
"I have acquired a right-hand," Arthas continued.
"His name is Loki, and he is of Asgard."
Silence.
Tony's head snapped up.
"…I'm sorry, what?"
Natasha's eyes narrowed sharply.
"The same Loki we just defeated? Escorted by Thor to face 'Asgardian justice?' "
Steve stood fully now.
"The one who—"
"Killed a lot lf people! He was our enemy!" Bruce finished green tint already coloring his neck.
Arthas' gaze swept over them, frost creeping farther across the floor.
"He is no longer merely an enemy," Arthas said.
"He is my subordinate."
The four stared.
Tony stared harder.
"…How," he asked carefully, "did the guy who tried to stab us in New York suddenly get promoted over us?"
"I told you before, he was controlled. And that someone behind him? That's your real enemy. Since Earth holds all 3 stones, he will come sooner or later."
"Now then, since you all understand that, let's forget about him for now and focus on the current rot in the system."
That seemed to get their attention as the atmosphere turned serious.
"Here's your next orders. Eradicate HYDRA, retrieve the Winter Soldier, James Buchanan Barnes."
Steve's breath caught, his bestfriend was still alive? However Arthas' attention was already on another.
He turned to Tony Stark who seemed to get that the next words are for him.
Tony stiffened. He could feel it coming, whatever it was.
"I know you'll learn of this later. But it's better coming from me than from someone else trying to control and separate all of you. When Thanos comes, that's the guy behind Loki, you all need to be united if you want the world to avoid total annihilation."
Tony understood and prepared himself. But how could he? When it was about his parents' death?
"Your parents, Howard and Maria."
Tony's eyes turned wide in surprise.
"By HYDRA's orders, were killed by the Winter Soldier."
The room went deathly quiet. Steve wanted to deny it. But how could he, when it was Arthas who spoke.
Tony was different though, he probably wants nothing but to kill Steve's bestfriend, the only other person the captain could connect with familiarity.
"I know how you must be feeling after hearing this." Arthas said, his voice lower now
"But there is also this two siblings I know who also lost the same as you."
"And exactly how could siblings understand how I feel? At least they had each other!"
Arthas met his eyes.
"Well, you've got Jarvis, Pepper, Rhodey and, as flawed as he was, you still had a godfather. But them, they were children when it happened. And guess how?"
"What do you mean?"
"Remember when your weapons were still on sale and your godfather sold some without your knowledge?"
Tony's got a bad feeling of the direction this was going. And his face clearly shows he dreading it.
"Well, one of the mortar shells developed by your company dropped in the apartment where these siblings were having dinner with their parents who, were both instantly killed."
Tony's breath hitched. The words struck like a hammer.
"Did I mention they were 10 years old at that time? Oh, and that wasn't the worst part."
Tony shook his head slowly. "Stop."
Stark was already horrified at what his creation did in other countries, although unintentional, and definitely Obidia's work, he still felt guilty. Now this?
He should've shut it down way earlier. And now, this man, Arthas, is syaing there's more?
And there was, Arthas spoke again.
"A second Stark Industries missile hit their apartment but did not detonate. Wanda and Pietro were trapped in the rubble for two days, staring at the unexploded shell just feet away, fearing it would go off at any moment, they were probably shaking while hugging each other. And guess what was written on the missile."
The room felt smaller.
"Stark Industries." Tony answered.
Arthas nodded.
Tony stared at the floor, guilt crushing his chest.
"The Winter Soldier was mind controlled while you weren't aware that you're godfather sell defective products under your name without your consent."
Arthas's voice softened—just slightly.
"Bring the Winter Soldier back to normal and let him decide what to do with his life. And give those siblings—Wanda and Pietro—the normal life that was stolen from them."
A pause.
"You can do at least that much. Right?"
"We'll do it." Steve immediately answered, it was his best friend after all.
Natasha nodded while Bruce also agreed. Tony struggled a bit but also agrees in the end.
"…We'll do it."
Arthas turned away.
Orders given.
Judgment passed.
It was time to return time back to normal.
Arthas turned away first walking back to the frozen throne then he stopped in his tracks as if remembering something.
The frozen air seemed to tighten around him as he spoke one last time, his voice carrying the weight of command rather than farewell.
"Try Camp Lehigh first," he said without looking back.
"And make sure you bring something capable of trapping an AI within that camp."
He paused just long enough for the words to settle.
"Until then," Arthas finished, "my Generals."
Frost crept outward from his boots, spider-webbing across the floor in silence.
Then—without flash or spectacle—he was simply gone.
The Frozen Throne vanished with him.
Sound rushed back all at once.
Breath. Motion. Gravity.
Time snapped forward.
"Where the hell on Earth are all of you? You were just supposed to send Thor and Loki back to Asgard. We need to discuss what to do next."
Nick Fury's voice cut through the comms like a gunshot.
Everyone flinched.
Tony blinked, disoriented, glancing around as if expecting frozen air and a throne of ice to still be there.
Steve straightened instinctively.
Natasha's hand was already near a weapon she hadn't realized she'd relaxed.
Clint exhaled slowly.
"You're not gonna like the answer to that."
Fury narrowed his eye.
"Try me."
They exchanged looks—shared, heavy, unspoken.
Steve finally spoke. "We need to go to a camp."
Fury's jaw tightened.
"And why do you guys need to camp? please don't tell me it's for team building."
Tony looked at the spot Arthas had stood only a heartbeat ago.
"Nick, we need you, Hill and Coulson at this floor and room asap, how fast can you arrive?"
Silence followed. Fury clearly heard Tony, no, he heard Tony's serious, non playful voice.
Then Fury turned away, already reaching for his personal communicators contacting his two subordinates.
"Uhh, what's going on?" Elias could only asked pretending not to know what was happening.
Tensions are high and HYDRA is no longer a secret. What will happen next?
Find out in the next chapter of....
End of chapter
1 down, 2 to go! Next chapter is the bonus chappie, let's get it done before the day ends.